Great Basin Sky

As an official Dark Sky Park, Great Basin National Park has some of the most beautiful views of the night sky. The early fall constellations provide the best of both worlds with summer constellations still visible but winter constellations beginning to make their debut. Still having the opportunity to be enveloped by starlit skies is one reason our national parks really are America’ greatest idea. This artwork was produced under the Darwin Lambert Artist in Residence Program at Great Basin National Park.

The cowl is made with beautiful ombré yarn from Wollelfe and crystal beads lined with silver for the stars. It is officially my new favorite pattern.

Horsetail

While hiking up Pole Canyon in Great Basin National Park, I rounded a bend of pines and aspens and came across a grove of horsetail that took me by surprise. The delight at seeing these plants of my childhood made me stop in thought. The fascination of how they grew (and how they pulled apart) came back to me from my youth. Did you know that the spacing of the nodes inspired John Napier to discover logarithms? I wanted to capture this childlike wonder in a scarf for kids and adults alike. Before I was even finished, Tommy had already claimed it as his own.

Leave No Trace

The Leave No Trace ethos is the most widely accepted outdoor ethics program used on public lands. It teaches people of all ages how to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. Among several principles is the notion of “Leave What You Find” including rocks, plants, and natural materials. I was thinking about this idea a lot before and during my residency. So I made some mittens that would allow me to keep a visual memory of some of the natural material in Great Basin National Park through sun-sensitive dye. These mittens are the perfect solution to remember my adventure there while still leaving no trace.

And they were accepted in this year’s Statewide Annual exhibition of Mixed Media and Works on Paper on display now in the Rio Gallery in Salt Lake City. So if you are in the area, you can see them in person along with an amazing array of talented Utah artists.

This artwork was produced under the Darwin Lambert Artist in Residence Program at Great Basin National Park.

Red-winged Blackbird

One of the first pieces I finished while living in Great Basin National Park was this Red-winged Blackbird shawl. I caught a fleeting glimpse of red while watching some blackbirds and loved the ephemeral surprise it gave me. I didn’t see another one the whole time I was there but captured the beautiful contrast in the shawl. It is one of my favorites that I have created so far.

Information that will be included in the pattern: Red-winged blackbirds are a familiar site in Great Basin National Park. They can be spotted in marshy fields and the grassy edges of wetlands. The males’ beautiful red and yellow shoulder patches stand in stark contrast to their deep black feathers. Singing atop cattails, the males flaunt their epaulets making a showy spectacle for their female onlookers. This artwork was produced under the Darwin Lambert Artist in Residence Program at Great Basin National Park.